This piece of brick red cloth is covered with geometric patterns in tones of red, greenish yellow, white and orange. Along the top and bottom edges (if the piece were vertical) are border grids made up of 6 squares with triangular patterns of thread inside them. The main body of the phulkari is a 6 by 9 square grid, each box housing a stylized floral pattern made from embroidery.

Subject Matter

Phulkari embroidery uses stylized designs of objects from daily life, particularly flowers and birds. These designs usually leave ample space between them, allowing for vibrant patches of fabric to show through. The most common color of the cloth that serves as a base for phulkari embroidery is brick red, as red is an auspicious color associated with shakti (power) and the mother goddess. The tradition of phulkari embroidery nearly faded out in the late twentieth century, yet the designs have become a recent international fashion trend.

etched signature and 1980 in upper left corner and paper tag with same information verso

Dimensions

46.99 x 25.4 x 15.24 cm (18 1/2 x 10 x 6 in.)

Physical Description

A sculpture with a man wrapped in cloths, covering his face. One arm is behind him, the other across his chest and is bare. The colors are reds, gold, blue and black paints. The sculpture has a base and it looks like a corner of a wall with the man standing on the end.

This is a line drawing done in colors of red, orange, blue, yellow, brown and green, on white paper. In the top center portion of the sheet are the words, "A LIE". Below this are forms that resemble an egg, a slice of bacon, a piece of bread with a pat of yellow butter. Below these forms are some round shapes, labeled "flakes", a bowl and a carton of milk.

This is a red cloth covered with geometric patterns and abstract forms in the shape of peacocks. The designs and peacocks are multicolored and depicted in a repetitive format with the birds arranged in five columns and nine rows.

Subject Matter

Phulkari embroidery uses stylized designs of objects from daily life, particularly flowers and birds. These designs usually leave ample space between them, allowing for vibrant patches of fabric to show through. The most common color of the cloth that serves as a base for phulkari embroidery is brick red, as red is an auspicious color associated with shakti (power) and the mother goddess. The tradition of phulkari embroidery nearly faded out in the late twentieth century, yet the designs have become a recent international fashion trend.

This stereoscope viewer is made of light brown wood and brass. It has an oval shaped view finder with two glass squares for the viewing holes. There is a handle below and a sliding wood arm with brass brackets to hold the stereoscopic card.